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Re: Last Tries to Increase Supply, 3 Months Out

I can see that it's doable for sure. I have a hard time getting back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night now that I'm not completely exhausted. Also bums me out when he wakes up right after I pumped and he gets frustrated trying to nurse. But, gotta do what you gotta do I guess! Last night he must have gotten the memo and woke up at 4am, conveniently (we're still working on his bedtime, it's between 11:30-12:30).

Re: Last Tries to Increase Supply, 3 Months Out

If you need any tips and tricks to help you manage falling back asleep in the middle of the night, let me know. I've got a super frequent night nurser, and I've gotten this down to a science over the last year...

Apologies for the short responses! I'm usually responding one-handed on my smartphone!

Re: Last Tries to Increase Supply, 3 Months Out

Originally Posted by @llli*rviolet

If I can drag myself out of bed in the middle of the night. I surely don't want to set an alarm for 3am :P

This may not be something you've considered so I'll just throw it out there: co-sleeping. I was never one to plan that I'd do it, but it made all the difference for my milk supply. I was able to give up formula entirely after 1.5 months because I just brought him into bed with me. I understand your situation is different with the hyperthyroidism. I do know that no amount of galactalogues is going to help without more frequent removal of milk and even just time at the breast. You don't have to drag yourself anywhere if you can just lie there and feed. They call it "dream-feeding" and for me, it's just being half awake for both of us. I can't tell you how many times a night he nurses because I'm not awake enough to count. Now he is almost 14 months and it is going well.

Re: Last Tries to Increase Supply, 3 Months Out

I do know that is an option, but not one my husband and I are comfortable with. Thanks, though! I am cramming in a bunch of extra milk removal during the day but understand the need to balance it out with some during the night as well.

Re: Last Tries to Increase Supply, 3 Months Out

Tips would be appreciated! What worked for me in the past was counting backwards every exhale or visualizing a complex nature scene. But these days I guess I just have a hard time getting my brain to stay focused on something relaxing, it's always wandering off!

Re: Last Tries to Increase Supply, 3 Months Out

Is there any sort of "average" time that it takes to start seeing improvements? I'm on day 5 of all the extra pumping during the day and the amount I'm getting is just about exactly what I was getting before. He gets less nursing and a little in the bottle, adds up to the same.

Re: Last Tries to Increase Supply, 3 Months Out

Okay, some back to sleep tips:
--Don't look at the clock! I've removed all of them from my bedroom. If I don't know what time it is, I can't play the mental game where I count down just how few hours I have left to sleep. I also can't keep checking to see how long I've been lying awake. This is the single most helpful thing I've done on this front.
--If you aren't comfortable bedsharing, can you bring the baby into the same room as you? I always wake up more fully if I have to get up and walk. The more time you can spend not moving, the easier it is to get back to sleep. So maybe bring baby into bed to nurse, then return baby to his own sleeping surface.
--Put a positive spin on your awake time. This has been coming into play for me more and more. Instead of stressing about being awake, I focus on whatever good thing there is about why I'm awake. Lately, what's worked best for me is to reframe the waking as an extra opportunity to snuggle with my baby before she gets too big to want to snuggle anymore. So instead of thinking about the sleep I'm not getting, I am thankful that I get extra time to enjoy hugs with my baby. Just taking the negative connotations away from being awake in the night REALLY helps me get back to bed. (I have never had success with visualizing or counting exercises myself, either!)

Apologies for the short responses! I'm usually responding one-handed on my smartphone!

Re: Last Tries to Increase Supply, 3 Months Out

Good ideas! I definitely find it easier to get up when little guy directly needs me, it's a whole other story to get up for pumping. I know it's still for him but a little more indirectly and my sleep addled brain doesn't like to think that much, hah.

Re: Last Tries to Increase Supply, 3 Months Out

Just a small update. I did the pumping between nursing sessions during the day for 9 days and didn't see any increase, have been very consistent around 11-13oz. It was taking time away from little guy when he's in the best mood, so decided it wasn't worth continuing. Did try pumping overnight for about 4 days (I think he got up one or two of those nights anyway) and the fatigue was really getting to me for some reason. I can definitely see how I might get a couple more ounces with it (especially on nights he sleeps 9 hours, yeesh!) but being still a long way from full supply I decided it wasn't worth it. Will finish the bottle of Goat's Rue but like everything else, haven't seen any changes. Thanks for everyone's input and thoughts!